Well before you hit your golden years, you should think about honing your thinking skills, before they start to finally go down the drain.  There are many ways you can do this.

Exercise your mind.  The more you stimulate the brain, the better it will perform now and later on in life.  Engage yourself in mentally-challenging activities.  Do crossword puzzles, read a lot, etc.

Exercise your body.  When you do physical activity, your brain gets flooded with oxygen and other nutrients which help keep your memory pathways working like a well-oiled machine.  So the next time you go out for a jog, remember that you’re not only burning calories, but sharpening your mind as well.

Shun stress.  Too much stress in the body raises levels of the hormone cortisol, which then causes tissue damage and even dementia.  High cortisol levels inhibit learning and memory.

It’s never too early or too late to keep your brain in tiptop shape.  Remember, if you don’t use it, you lose it!

There may not be a magic potion for youth, but there is something you can do to feel young and at least delay the signs of aging.

If going to the gym just isn’t right up your alley, you can instead opt to play with your kids.  Set up the outdoor playground equipment and go on the swings with them a few times.  If your stamina wills it, go on the monkey bars.  Play a game of tag or hide-and-seek with them.

When you get tired getting physical, you can stay indoors and play some board games with them.  A round of Scrabble will help hone your word skills.  Playing Battleship will keep you on your toes as you strategize.   Making your brain work will help fire up those neurons even as you get old.

The secret to staying young is striking a balance between physical activity and mental exercise.  Playing with kids is one way to tap into both.  When you have fun, you end up having a more positive outlook on life, and this benefits your overall well-being.

Image source: aboutpixel.de / grünes Wintergemüse © Kirsten Oborny

Blame it on H.G. Wells.  Reading his sci-fi novel The Time Machine has got you all obsessed about going back in time to relive your youth.  Who wouldn’t want to rewind to the time when your face was wrinkle-free and you had enough energy to run in a triathlon?

Since time machines have yet to become a reality, the best we can do to turn back the hands of time and keep ourselves staying young is by eating the right types of food.   Here are some foods which help keep you youthful:

Green tea.  This isn’t called a super drink for nothing.  Green tea helps regulate blood pressure, lower cholesterol and boost the immune system.  So, you can start grabbing a box cutter and opening up that huge box of green tea your doting aunt shipped you for your birthday.

Green leafy vegetables.  Now you have reason to thank your mom for forcing you to eat your veggies.  Green leafy veggies are rich in folate which is essential in preventing DNA and blood vessel damage.  This lessens your risk of developing high blood pressure.

Yogurt.  This has a lot of good bacteria which help stave off the occurrence of intestinal diseases associated with aging.

Start eating right today, and you’ll feel and look younger than you are.

Clubwear from ANNSUMMERS

It might seem hard, but an hour or so working out over the next few months would enable you to buy the sexy dresses which you’ve set your eyes on for that holiday or for trips to your favourite nightclub. As well as being the most popular and tried and tested method of losing weight, daily exercise is also the best way to ensure that you can fit into the clothes you want. A quick jog around the block, nearest park or even running track every day could do wonders for your figure, as well as having a healthy diet.

While summer wardrobes usually consist of things you wear to the beach or on holidays abroad, they can also feature clothes for going out to a bar or nightclub. Going to a nightclub in the autumn or winter usually involves wearing a thick coat, scarf and several layers underneath. However, on a long, humid summer’s night, all you need to wear is a light, summery dress. As well as being able to buy sex toys from Ann Summers, you can also find clubwear which is bound to make everyone take notice.

If you’ve managed to slim down enough, you may find that you have a greater choice of clubwear to buy in time for your next big night out. Clubwear can be sexy, comfortable and help to bring out the best in your new, improved figure. It can work wonders for your confidence levels, especially when going out in a big city like London, where you can celebrate not experiencing the crushing disappointment of not being able to fit into the clubwear you wanted. When a celebrity like Rhianna loves partying in London to show off her figure, you can do the same. After all, you’ve earned it.

By exercising and following a balanced, healthy diet until the start of the summer, you’ll find that your choice of summer clothing has grown significantly. If not, you may experience the same disappointment you would when looking for clothes for all seasons.

Besides group  coupons, watch  out also for giveaways and contests on  Facebook and other social  networking sites  because  most merchants do offer such for their   subscribers. Oh, and one  of the least  expensive yet most effective beauty treatments/supplies ever: fresh water Remember to keep yourself  hydrated throughout the day and that  should give your skin a fresh healthy glow throughout the day.

Music comes in so many forms.  It may involve using your natural instrument- your voice- to express yourself.  Or if you’re one who hasn’t been blessed with an angelic voice, you can express yourself through playing a musical instrument.  Well, this will benefit others’ health as well, as their ears wouldn’t have to bleed listening to your not-so-stellar singing voice!

In order to effectively express yourself through a musical instrument, you should first see yourself as a musician, and not just someone who plays the guitar using dod effects.  At least, you’re learning to become one!  Think of yourself as an artist using music as your medium of expression.  Your guitar then becomes a vessel of your thoughts and emotions.

After seeing yourself as an artist, the next thing to do is to envision what you want to create.  Clearly identify what kind of music you want to make, or what message you want to put across.  Guitar players, for example, begin with improvising chords and playing around with melodies.  They keep at it until they chance upon something that sounds awesome.

Image source: aboutpixel.de / Spielend Hände waschen © Kerstin Maier

One sure way to keep disease-causing germs at bay is by frequent handwashing.  And this doesn’t mean simply putting your hands under a faucet of running water for a few seconds.  That hardly does the job.  There is a proper way of handwashing:

Wet hands under clean running water, and apply soap.

Lather up by rubbing your hands together, and scrub them scrupulously.  Make sure to scrub the backs of your hands, the skin between your fingers, and get the grub out from under your nails.  Keep doing this for at least 20 seconds.   Without a timer, you can hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice.  Rinse well.

After washing, either air dry your hands or dry them using a clean towel.

The hands are the major vessels for germs to get inside our bodies.  Wash them frequently so you can hold them up high so clean and bright, without worrying about catching diseases.

Photo: “Stress” by Bernard Goldbach, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

While stress is indeed something that is a natural part of life, and in fact at times can be considered a beneficial and important part of daily life because it can serve as a motivation and fuels our adrenalin, too much of it can be detrimental to health. The goal, perhaps, should not be to just remove the stressors in our lives, but to build up our armor of defense against stressful situations.

Three easy stress busters that we can do on a daily basis to manage stress levels are as follows:

1. SMILE! Perhaps that’s why there’s a saying that goes, smile even if it kills you! By simply turning those corners of your lips upwards, you can feel a little bit better.

2. BREATHE. In the face of stress, we tend to hold in our breaths. We also end up breathing erratically. Take a step back, inhale deeply and exhale slowly can allow you a brief  moment to detach yourself from the problem.

3. LET IT GO. We tend to stress about things that we cannot change or are not worth it anyway.

However, while we may find relief from the heat, if we are not careful, we open ourselves up to some health hazards because of overexposure to the sun and contaminated water.

While the dangers that may be posed by swimming, such as potential drowning, cramps, injuries and sunburn are often talked about and remembered by most people, there are a few health hazards posed by swimming, especially for women like us, that we often forget…and this is caused by staying in a wet swimsuit all day long! I’m talking about infections down there, or in our genital region.

Prolonged staying in wet swimwear, especially since it is made of stretchy nylon fabric, can allow for bacteria and yeast to flourish in our vaginal region, thus increasing the risk for yeast infection and urinary tract infections.

In order to avoid these risks, it is important to try to dry the area after swimming and to try not to stay in these suits for too long a time. Other hazards to watch out for include skin rashes and fungal infections.

Despite these potential dangers, let’s all enjoy the summer Remember, all we need to do is be more mindful and aware of what’s around us.

Your problem skin and mood swings may be caused by a hormonal imbalance and high cholesterol levels.  Subjecting your body to a liver detox diet will help eliminate those nasty problems you’ve been having- not to mention those dark undereye circles.

Since the liver is the primary organ which filters the blood of any toxins, doing the liver detox will help greatly in providing the liver with the necessary raw materials it needs to cleanse the body of unwanted impurities.

Foods that are liver-friendly are vegetables such as cabbages, sprouts, broccoli, garlic, onions, and other yellow, orange and red fruits and veggies.

Going on a liver detox means staying away from foods and drinks which add stress to the liver.  These are caffeine, alcohol, and any types of food with preservatives.

Give your moods and energy levels a much-needed boost with the liver detox diet.  It’s time for you to love your liver!